


Runaway

by LifeIsABlackHole9



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Abandoned Work - Unfinished and Discontinued, Body Worship, Broken Bones, Dom Sans, Eventual Relationships, Eventual Smut, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Smut, Hurt/Comfort, Light Bondage, Not Sans', PTSD, Reader Is Not Frisk, Reader is Demi, Slow Burn, Suicide Attempt, Trust Issues, Vomiting, bed sharing, broken trust
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-02-08
Updated: 2016-03-21
Packaged: 2018-05-18 08:40:23
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 7
Words: 18,619
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5915545
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LifeIsABlackHole9/pseuds/LifeIsABlackHole9
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>~~~This work has been abandoned do to the writer falling out of the fan base. I'm really sorry, but I couldn't bring myself to finish something I'm no longer in to.~~~<br/>When the reader decides that this fleeting world can no longer provide what they need, they decide to to leave their home in the middle of the night. With no actual destination in mind, they only have one goal; put an end to it all. And, when they find a seemingly bottomless pit at the top of a mountain, they plan to do just that. There's only one problem; the fall doesn't kill them; but rather leaves them broken and bruised, and at the mercy of a rather terrifying yellow flower.<br/>What will they do? Who can they trust? And why is it that, in an underground full of monsters dedicated to collecting one last human soul, everyone would rather be your friend, and prove to you that this life has just a little more to offer?<br/>In this depressing tale of pain, mistrust, and growing of more than one soul; the reader discovers that, maybe there really is something- or, rather, someone, to live for after all.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Part Where You Die

**Author's Note:**

> Before I begin I would just like to say that I'm new to this platform so if I don't get everything right on the first try, I ask that you be patient with me.  
> I'm going to give a brief description on how the reader behaves because I hate it when I start a fic and they behave way different from me.  
> Where as I try to keep the reader as vague as possible, when it is mentioned, the reader is more of a tomboy. The reader is very cautious of most things, but once they get attached to something, they're /attached/. Though it's hardly mentioned, the reader wears glasses. Reader can't stand to watch skin being pierced in any way. This is referenced in future chapters. Because of this, the reader prefered burning/hot wax for self harm. The reader cannot handle being yelled at or being in trouble, and effectively shuts down when its directed at them.  
> If you have any triggers, read the next section before reading this fic.  
> Reader is the one who attempts suicide, reason is not given so as to make your bond to the character a little stronger. Further in the series, there is mention of self harm, however, for reasons above, it's not cutting. There will be in depth descriptions of anxiety attacks. There is extreme violence directed towards the reader, this includes broken bones and melting skin. Pain is descriptive, but all injuries are healed. Major violence from outside forces directed to the reader end in chapter four. During an anxiety attack, when the reader starts calming down, it'll be fairly common for someone to use phrases like "good girl" "my good girl" and things like that.  
> If none of this will bother you, read on.  
> I will do my best to update this every Monday or every other Monday, however, because I'm finishing up my last semester of high school, I can't make any promises just yet. I'm sorry in advanced if I miss an update.

     You sat on the foot of your bed, back against the wall, knees tucked to your chest. You watched the clock as the time passed. 10pm. 11pm. 12am. 1am. You were waiting; waiting for everyone in the house to finally fall asleep. You had planned this for so long, you almost couldn’t believe you were going to do it. It almost didn’t feel real.

    The house had been quiet for about an hour now. You took a sharp inhale before getting off your bed, and moving over across the room to put on your shoes and jacket. You grabbed your headphones and fully charged phone and made your way to the window.

    You peered out for a moment, looking out at the cold, dark night. The window was sweating from the contrast between your room and the outside world. Nervously, you moved your hands to open the window. This was it, there was no turning back at this point. If you did this, you wouldn’t be able to return. You wouldn't be able to come "home"

    You paused, fingers just an inch away from the cold window. You stopped to think about what all you were doing. Was this a good idea? What would happen if things didn’t go as planned? Was it worth it? You thought back on the past few years; a heavy, sinking feeling weighed on you with every thought. With every memory of anything that had gone wrong. Every little thing you had done that you couldn’t fix or change. Everything that you had no control over. You couldn’t stay here. You couldn’t keep this up anymore.

    Quickly, and with force, you grabbed the edge of the window and flung it open, being careful not to wake anyone up in the process. Headphones around your neck, phone in pocket, you jumped out the window, hitting the ground a little harder than you would have liked.

    You looked back at your house for the last time. It was dark, save for the warm, dim light of your bedroom window, an interesting contrast to the sharp, cold darkness that now surrounded you. You put your headphones on and played your music before turning your back on all of it, walking aimlessly away from it all.

    To be honest, you didn’t care where you were going, or where you’d end up; all that mattered was that when you got there, you’d be alone to finally put an end to it all. You didn’t know why you were leaving home. If you were being honest with yourself, you probably would prefer to do this in the warmth of your room. But, then again, if they caught you things would get a lot worse than they are now. It’s probably all for the best, after all, the sky looked beautiful.

     You looked up at the night sky. It was clear, allowing you to see all the stars you could with the street lamps polluting your perception of them. The moon was full, and shining brighter than usual. Despite only being able to see a fraction of the stars, it was still such a beautiful sight. As you walked further and further away from society, you noticed more and more stars could be seen every time you stopped to catch your breath.

     As time passed, you made it to the foot of a near-by mountain. You took a break, sitting on a cold, coarse rock that came up to just below your knees. You took a moment to take everything in. It was quiet. It felt like you were the only creature in the world who was awake. Too early for the morning people, too late for the night people, but just right for you. Just right for what you had to do. That was enough, you thought, before getting up, and walking along  the barren, one-way road, that lead all the way to the top of the mountain.

     By now, the sun was just beginning to peek over the horizon, leaving just a strip of orange-gold at the very bottom of the sky as you reached a large, gaping hole towards the top. Looking in, you couldn’t even see the bottom. You decided to kick a rock in to see how long the drop was, but as seconds turned to minutes, you never once heard it hit the bottom. Perfect.

     This was it. This is just what you needed. One step, and you’d be free. Everything bad would just, disappear, like dust in the wind. No one could get upset with you anymore. No one could yell at you. No one could hurt you. It was funny, really. Here you were, inches away from a seemingly bottomless pit, about to jump in and end your life; but in that moment, you’d never felt safer. Like you were on top of the world.

     You closed your eyes and reveled in the feeling that, this was it. No one could stop you. No one could take this away from you. No one could change your mind. No one even knew you were here, or how to find you. A single tear crept its way down your cheek, but you hardly noticed, or even cared. You stretched your arms out to either side of you, and took a step forward, falling farther and farther down, until you hit the ground.


	2. The Part Where You Regret It

    Feeling the whoosh of the crisp morning air pass you as you fell down was nice and refreshing. It felt like you were flying, like you'd just swoop up, and glide over the treetops and just fly away from everything. That notion soon fled when you hit the ground with a loud thud.

    What happened? Were you still alive? Shouldn’t the fall have killed you? Before you could think of any more questions, your body flared with severe pain. You had broken both your legs, and your dominant arm, and possibly more than that, but you couldn’t really tell at this point. The pain was so bad, you couldn’t help but shriek out, crying desperately at anyone who could hear you. You'd soon regret this when a small yellow flower popped up out of nowhere.

    Sure, there were plenty of yellow flowers all around you, you landed in a rather unhelpful patch of them just a second ago; but this one was different. This one had a face, and a voice, and a mind of its own. At first glance, it seemed harmless, but something inside you was screaming otherwise.

 

    “Howdy! I’m Flowey, Flowey the Flower!” Its voice was Light and bouncy, like that of a small child. Somehow, that made this all the worse.

 

    “Heh, you're new here, arncha? And I don’t mean the usual ‘new’.” Its face morphed slightly, and a tinge of panic shot up your spine.

   

    “No, you're not supposed to be here, are you?” Its face shifted into something sinister and unnatural. You wanted to run away, but the pain was too much. A terrifying laugh came from the flower; twisted and soulless.

 

    “You IDIOT. Why did you come here? Clearly you lack the determination THEY have. Just LOOK at you! There's no way you could survive even HALF as long as they usually do!” Its face seemed to mimic that of another child that you had never met before.

 

    “So why then? Why would you come here if there was no way you'd be able to accomplish their goals?”

 

     The flower popped back into the ground, only to return right behind you.

 

    “Oh, I get it!” Its face returned to the near-demonic visual from mere moments ago. You’d never been so afraid in your life.

 

    “You came here to KILL yourself, DIDN’T you? How wonderful! Simply delightful!” It had begun to tightly wrap itself around you.

 

    “Hehehe, what a wonderful change of plans THIS is! And to think, not only are you already injured AND defenseless, but you actually WANT this! You so desperately want to let go of this world, that you walked your way up this stupid mountain, and JUMPED, HOPING that it would be over, that everything would be okay in the end.”

 

     You tried to struggle, but its coiling grip tightened around you. You cried out in agony as your body was crushed, nearly every bone breaking in the process. You could blood seeping out where the bones pierced your skin. This wasn't how you wanted it to go. You wanted to leave this world quick and easy, not in unimaginable pain. You should have done this at home, instead.

 

    “Sorry to break it to you, sweetheart, but it's NEVER that easy. In THIS world, it's KILL, OR BE KILLED.” More demented laughter escaped the flower. Tears streamed from your eyes; you couldn’t tell if it was from fear or pain.

 

    “Don’t worry, though. It’ll ALL be over soon~.”

 

    It wrapped around you even tighter, constricting your breath, and shattering your rib cage. The pain was unbearable. You’d probably be screaming if the flower hadn’t wrapped one of its vines around your mouth, muffling any and all sound that dared to escape. As everything begun to fade, you could faintly see a figure enter the small cavern through your tiered, tear-filled eyes, before everything went black.

    When you woke up, your surroundings were warm and comforting. The bed you were in was soft, lulling you back to sleep. Turning over on your side, you thought about how this was the most relaxed you'd been in a long time; that is until flashes of what happened flooded your mind. The walking. The nights sky. The mountain. Falling. Pain. Lots of pain. And worst of all; the image of that cruel, sadistic flower.

    You shot up from where you laid, taking note that nothing hurt anymore. Shouldn't everything hurt? That flower broke nearly every bone in your body, crushed your lungs, and probably drained over half your blood. You should be hurting a lot more. You threw off the covers only to find that your cloths seemed clean. Shouldn't they be covered in dirt and blood? You looked around the room and noticed that your jacket was hung neatly on the foot of the bed. You could tell from where you sat that it had a few tears in it. Looking around the room some more, you were able to piece together that this was a child's room of some sort. The warm colors helping to calm you down a small bit.

    Cautiously, you got out of bed and inspected the room a bit. Everything in it was covered in dust and looked like they hadn't been touched in awhile. From the stuffed animals next to the bed, all the way to the empty picture frame on the dresser. Walking around, you found your shoes at the foot of the bed, right next to the toy box. You grabbed them and sat on the edge of the bed to put them on. As you did so, a sweet scent of some sort of food filled the room, and your stomach growled. Quietly, you walked over to the door, and cracked it open to peer out, the smell getting much stronger as you did so.

   The hallway was brightly lit, and nicely decorated. Plants and flowers in a disparity of type and color littered both sides of you. To your left, there were two other doors, that you assumed were other bedrooms, maybe a bathroom as well? You slowly walked out of the room, trying to be as discreet as possible, and headed towards your right. Looking around, your mind couldn’t stop thinking about what happened with Flowey. That thing was murderous and terrifying. Who stopped it? Why did they care to save you? What does it say about them that they lived here? If they bested that demonic flower, what could they possibly do to you? You stopped in your tracks, petrified as a large, white, furry hand was placed on your shoulder. Whatever, or rather, whoever it was, was right behind you, and there was nothing you could do to protect yourself.

 

    “My child, it’s good to see that you’re finally up. Please turn around so that I May introduce myself.” The voice was soft and warm, like that of a mother.

     You turned around to face her, unable to stop the tears that formed in your eyes out of fear. She was tall, about a foot or two taller than you, and she appeared to be a humanized goat, in a good way.

 

    “My dear, please do not be afraid. You’re safe now.” She wiped away a tear that gently caressed your cheek, before petting your hair softly.

 

    “My name is Toriel, and I promise that, however long you stay here, I will protect you. That creature won't be able to hurt you anymore either. He’s been taken of.” She grabbed your once broken arm gently in her hand, carefully inspecting it, before smiling warmly.

 

    “It is good to see that you’ve healed well. Come now, the pie should be ready soon.” She told you, letting go of your arm and leading you towards the next room.

 

    “Please have a seat, I’ll be back in a moment.” She smiled at you, before heading into what you assumed to be the kitchen.

 

    You looked around the living room area a bit. There was a bookshelf full of dusty, over read books, a fireplace with a small, warm fire, and a large reading chair. Over in the dining area there was a table, three chairs, and a dying house plant of some kind. You couldn’t help but find that odd, considering the state of all the other plants.

    You moved to take a seat in the closest dining chair, and wait for Toriel to return. Before sitting down, you noticed that two of the chairs, including yours, were covered in dust, and only part of the table in front of the clearly used chair was spotless. How long had Toriel been alone? You sat down, and listened to the sound of Toriel preparing the food. You were still shaken up about everything, but, the warm atmosphere of the house did help to calm your nerves a bit. You looked down at your lap and sighed. If there was one thing you knew, it was to never get comfortable. Maybe this time would be different…? But, then again, that wouldn’t be right. Why would anything work out for you? Before you could give it anymore thought, Toriel walked in with two slices of pie. You looked up at her as she placed a slice in front of you, along with a fork, and a slice at the seat next to you, before sitting down herself.

 

    “I hope you don’t mind Butterscotch-Cinnamon!” She smiled at you before taking a bite of her slice. You didn’t say anything, and looked down at the pie.

 

    “There’s no need to be afraid. I promise there's nothing wrong with it. That is, unless you're allergic?” She informed you, now looking a bit concerned.

 

    You shook your head before carefully taking a bite. The pie was warm and sweet, and melted in your mouth. You didn’t hesitate to take another bite. She smiled at you before continuing to eat as well. A few minutes had passed before she spoke again.

 

    “My child, if you don’t mind my asking, would it be alright if you told me your name?” She looked at you, eager for your response.

 

    You paused for a moment, looking down at your plate. You weren’t sure if you should tell her. Then again, if she really wanted to hurt you, she probably would have by now. or at least let Flowey finish you off. Besides, after all she’s done for you, it would only be fair. You inhaled slowly before telling her your name. She paused in thought for a moment, before whispering your name under her breath.

 

    “Hmm, what a beautiful name. It suits you.” She paused again. “I’m glad you're here with me. It has been… A really long time since someone has stayed with me this long. I hope you are comfortable while you stay here.” The look on her face was bittersweet, as if she had lost a lot of people in the past. You wanted to ask what happened, but it didn’t feel right, so you kept eating your pie instead.

 

    “After you are done eating, I’ll show you around the ruins a bit, or you can look around by yourself. The ruins are small, so you shouldn’t get lost. And, if you do…” She slid you an old flip-phone. “My number is the only one in there. Just give it a call and I’ll be able to help you.”

 

    You thought back to your own phone, and reached in your pocket to inspect it. The edges were cracked from the fall, and the battery was dead. You cursed yourself for not bringing your charger.

 

    “I am sorry about your phone, my child. But unfortunately, there's nothing I can do. It’s much more advanced than anything I’ve ever seen. I was unable to fix it.” She told you calmly. You nodded in understanding, before putting it back in your pocket and returning to your pie.

 

    After a while, the both of you had finished your pie, and you informed her that you would like to explore the ruins yourself. She nodded in agreement, before gathering all the dishes and making her way to the kitchen.

  
    “Call me if you need anything, and please do stay safe! I’ve deactivated all the puzzles for now, but if you get bored, I will gladly reactivate them for you!” She said from the other room. You agreed as you walked to the door, making your way out of the warm house.


	3. The Part Where You Get a Friend

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those of you who read the first two chapters the first few days they were up: I stuck them through editing. They're way better now. If you just read them or read them a couppla days before this one went up then you're probably fine. I'm gonna do self edits before each chapter goes up now so this shouldn't happen again. <3

     As you stepped out, closing the door behind you, you were greeted by a tall tree that appeared to have lost all of its leaves. You walked over to the tree to inspect it cautiously. The bark was black, but the tree seemed healthy as ever. So, why were the leaves still falling off? You brushed it off as something you could investigate later.

     You walked away from the tree and towards the end of the room. There was a fork in the road, and leaves were scattered everywhere. Looking around, you could clearly see what Toriel meant when she said “ruins”. The place seemed ancient; vines and crumbling walls everywhere. Looking at your two options for directions, you decided to head left, entering a small room.

     The little nook didn’t have much to offer other than a few cracks, dust, and a threshold. Entering through it, you were greeted by the sight of a large, beautiful and decaying city. Staring at it for a while, you could see that some creatures still lived there. Silhouettes of frog and insects that you estimated to come up to your knees, glob monsters of some kind, and black swarm-like blobs on the ground could be seen throughout the city. You wanted to go explore it, but you were afraid they might attack you. Perhaps it would be best to explore it when Toriel was around.

     You turned around and went to go explore the rest of the ruins. Despite the fact that everything was falling apart, you couldn’t help but find the beauty in it all. What was left of the decor was elegant and precise. You could tell that a lot of time and effort was put into it all. It made you happy thinking about it.

     Walking around, you almost forgot about what all had happened. It was peaceful for the most part, although you did hide whenever you spotted a monster. You thought it’d be best to meet them when you weren’t alone. But, all that changed when your path was eventually blocked by a ghost, lying down in the middle of the walkway.

     When you approached it, it began repeating a “z” sound aloud. You found this odd, and weren’t sure how to proceed. You stood their, staring at it for a while, wondering what to do. Should you go back to the house? Should you ask it to move? Should you mimic the sound back at it? Would it attack you like the flower had? You decided to try and talk to it, and see if you could simply pass and continue your walk.

     You slowly walked up to it, doing the best you could to keep your distance. You stopped a few feet away from it, hesitating a bit before speaking up. You asked it if it would be willing to move, and let you pass. Your voice was soft, and cracked slightly as you did so. The ghost ignored you, still poorly pretending to sleep.

     You meekly took another step forward, and asked it again if it would move so that you could pass. You tried to sound more firm this time, but weren't sure if you succeeded. The ghost still ignored you, but seemed to get more nervous whenever you took a step closer. You took a final step closer. You tried to speak again, but before you could, the ghost shot up and began crying and apologizing frantically. Its tears burned when they came into contact with your skin. You flinched at the pain.

 

     “O-oh, I’m sorry. P-please, don’t be mad at me…..” It said as it backed away from you, while you took cover behind the wall.

 

     “I didn’t mean to block the way… It’s just that, well, usually no one is walking around here at this time… I thought it would be okay…”

 

      The tears began to slowly eat away at your flesh, and you couldn't stop your own as the pain became unbearable. You cried out in pain as your nerves felt like they were on fire, before dissolving away all together. The sight of the uncovered muscle tissue, followed by the pools of blood that soon spilled from the gaping holes was enough to make you want to throw up, and if it weren’t for the laud string of swear words that effortlessly escaped your mouth, you probably would have.

 

     “Oh… Oh no… I hurt you, didn’t I…? Oh dear… I’m sorry… Wait here, I’ll go get help…” Before you could say anything in return, it had disappeared.

 

     Holding back choked sobs, you did your best to cover the wounds, putting pressure on what you could in an attempt to stop the bleeding, and doing your best to ignore the intense stinging of the germs on your hands entering the gaping wounds as you did so. You really should have just stayed home, in your warm bed. So what if they caught you taking a full bottle of pills? Anything would be better than this.You heard two voices coming from down the hall; the ghost, and a scraggly voice.

 

     “She over here, then?” The scraggly voice asked.

 

     “Y-yes…” The ghost replied.

 

     The two turned the corner, and through your tear-filled eyes, you were able to make out the shape of a small bug monster, holding something in its hand. It walked over to you, inspecting you for a moment before turning to the ghost.

 

     “Geez, man, what did you do to her?” It asked the ghost, sounding concerned as it did so.

 

     “I-I’m not sure… I was just… I just…” The ghost looked like it was going to cry again as it tried to find the words to explain itself.

 

     “Hey, it’s gonna be alright, okay? No need to get worked up ‘bout it. I’ve got it covered.” The bug monster said before turning to you.

 

     “Hey, sweetheart. Can you hear me?” It asked you calmly. You nodded.

 

     “Okay good. Now, I’m gonna ask you to do something that may seem a little strange, but you gotta trust me if you want to get better. Alright, doll?” You nodded again.

 

     “Good. I need you to let go of your wound, and eat this, okay? I know it doesn’t seem like much, but I promise it’ll help. Do you understand?” Squinting through your tears, you looked down at the piece of candy in the monster’s hand. You didn’t move your hand to to take it from him.

 

     “I promise it’s safe, sweetie.” He said softly.

 

     You knew it was probably poisoned, but if it killed you, at least the pain would stop. You took the piece of candy from the monster, your entire body shaking with pain as you did so. You did your best to unwrap it, popped it in your mouth, and chewed it before swallowing. You couldn’t put your finger on the flavor. All you knew was it _definitely_ wasn’t licorice. You were stunned when the pain quickly washed away, watching as your skin formed back in a low shimmering light. The bug monster smiled at you.

 

     “There, see? What’d I tell ya’? Good as new!” It told you as it started walking back towards the ghost, who seemed relieved that you were no longer hurt. You asked them how any of what just happened was possible.

 

     “Heh, it’s magic, kid. It’s not somethin’ you gotta understand. It just is what it is, ya’ dig?” It said, shrugging and winking at you.

 

     “Now then, I think an apology is in order, don’t you?” It asked the ghost, and it nodded in agreement. The ghost slowly floated over to you, before stopping right in front of you.

 

     “I… I’m sorry… I didn’t mean for anyone to get hurt… I just wanted somewhere other than home, and when you came into the room, I panicked… I should have just gotten up and left… If I had, you wouldn’t have gotten hurt… This is all my fault… I’m sorry…” It was looking down at the ground as it apologized to you.

 

     You slowly looked up at it. This ghost’s apology seemed sincere. After all, why would it have gone for help when it hurt you if its goal was to kill you? If you were being honest with yourself, the same thing probably would have happened if the roles were switched. Besides, you were okay now, and as far as you were concerned, that was good enough. You coughed to clear your throat before telling it that. Your voice was scratchy and quiet when you did.

 

     “A-are you sure…? You were hurt pretty bad… All because of me…” The ghost responded, floating a little closer to the ground as it did.

 

     You nodded before standing up, using the wall as leverage. You assured it that you weren’t mad. That- apparently- these things happened, and so long as it didn’t happen again, you didn’t see why you should be upset. You told it your name.

 

     “Oh… M-my name is… Napstablook… I-it’s nice to meet you… I think…”

 

     The bug monster interrupted the both of you. “Well, now that all of that’s cleared up, I’m gonna go head back to the gang. You two stay out of trouble, ya’ hear?” It said, before walking off.

 

     There was an awkward silence between the two of you, before Napstablook spoke up.

 

     “So… How long have you been here…? In the ruins, I mean… I’ve never seen you around before, and I kinda know about everyone down here… More-or-less anyway… And I’ve never seen you before...”

 

     You told them that you weren’t actually sure. You explained why you came here, and what had happened right after you did.

 

     “Oh wow… That sounds really scary… I’m sorry you had to go through that… At least you're okay now… Is it okay… If I… Ask why you wanted to jump in the first place…?”

 

     You slid back down on the ground, tucking your knees to your chest and staring down at the ground, wondering how to explain it. Napstablook sat- or rather hovered- down next to you, patiently waiting for any kind of response from you. You finally decided to start with your home life, telling them about everything that had gone wrong in your life the past few years. About how you didn’t feel like there was a reason to keep going anymore. If you did, all that would happen would be yelling, and getting in trouble for something you didn’t fully understand both at and away from home. It was funny. You were afraid of getting hurt, and ended up getting way more hurt than you probably ever would back home.

     You explained how you felt like not only did nothing matter, but you yourself didn’t matter, either. And no matter what you did, you never would. In the midst of your explanation, you had begun crying without even noticing it. You wiped away the tears, avoiding eye contact with the specter. The last thing you wanted was their judgment right now.

 

     “Oh… I can see how all of that would weigh on someone… At least you have the option of killing yourself… If a ghost wants to die, we’d have to become corporeal first, and it’s usually not easy doing that… It really doesn’t seem worth it… Even if the alternative is being alone…” Napstablook looked down at the ground, lost in thought.

 

     You asked them why they thought they were alone, almost wanting to help them in some way.

 

     “Oh… It’s nothing… Don’t worry about it… I wouldn’t want to concern you with it, anyway…”

 

     You told them you were fine listening. That it was only fair after they listened to you. You reminded them that there wasn’t really anything else to do, anyway. They paused for a moment before speaking up again.

 

     “...I had three cousins… But they all ended up abandoning me… Two of them ended up taking on the form of training dummies... When they did, I went to my third cousin and asked him if he would try to be corporeal, too… He said that he wouldn’t… And that he couldn’t just leave me like that… And that he probably wouldn’t even be able to find the body he’d want anyway… But then… He met this girl… A scientist… She offered to make a body for him… One that he’d be happy in… And he jumped at the opportunity… I don’t blame him, though… He always wanted to be a star on T.V…. And how was he supposed to do that when he didn’t have a body to interact with everyone else…?”

 

     You stopped to think about what all they had said. They seemed to be as lonely as you were. Maybe if they had someone to talk to every now and then, they wouldn’t cry as much. You looked over to them and offered to be their friend.

 

     “O-oh…! You don’t have to… I’d probably just weigh you down…” They said, looking back down at the ground.

 

     You told them that you didn’t know much of anyone around here, other than that flower and Toriel, and that it would be nice to have another friend. You told them you thought they needed one, too.

 

     “...Only if you really, actually want to…” They said, still looking down at the ground. You nodded, humming in confirmation, before looking at the wall ahead of you.

 

     “...Well then… I guess we’re friends now…” They said quietly before looking at the wall, too.


	4. The Part Where You Meet Sans

    You lost count how long you’d been there. Days, weeks; in the end, it wouldn’t have made much of a difference to you anyway. The time you spent was… Well, eventful. You and Napstablook had become fairly good friends after what had happened; exploring the ruins and sharing stories of the past. They were actually pretty nice once you got to know them a little better. You’d grown to at least somewhat trust Toriel, too. She always seemed calm and reassuring in a way. It was a nice change of pace compared to home.

    Not everything was so grand, though. One day, you convinced Tori to take you and Nap to where you’d fallen in. You wanted to show Nap the area, and look up at the sky again, even just for a little while. Once you got there, though, you couldn’t stop yourself from breaking down in one of the worst panic attacks you’ve ever had. Your body went numb, it was hard to see or breath. You felt like the world was coming to a stop in the worst way possible. Tori got you out of there as fast as she could, and after you were able to calm down, recommended with a heavy heart that you shouldn’t go back there. You agreed, mentally saying goodbye to the sky as the three of you walked, and floated, back to Tori’s house.

    Everything would have been fine from there, but, that wasn’t the only area that set you off now. Unfortunately, on yours and  Nap's adventures exploring, monsters tended to attack the two of you. Sure, Nap was always fine, because you can’t exactly hurt a ghost, but you were another story. Healing was one thing, but it didn't exactly do anything for the pain in the moment. Nap would always try to stand in the way of attacks for you since it wouldn’t actually hurt them, but the attackers would always phase through them anyway. Every time someone did come for you, not only would it hurt you then and there, but it would also affect you later, hurting your ability to go back to that area anxiety-free.

    This happened nearly every time you went out, lowering the number of places you could go every time it did. You tried asking Tori to take you to the city a few times, but she always told you it was “too dangerous” and “you’d only end up getting hurt” as if you hadn’t already. It was exhausting and mentally wearing on you. You really wished you had your phone back so you could listen to your music and drown things out for a while when Nap was working. You cursed yourself for not bringing your charger.

    Things got to a point where you didn’t really leave bed unless you had to. Nap would come over and lay down on the ground next to your bed and stay there in silence until they had to go again. They told you that if their headphones could phase through the walls, they’d let you listen to their music. You appreciated the offer, even if it couldn't actually help.

    Tori was starting to worry for you. Every now and then she’d check up on you and ask if you wanted to have a picnic in the front yard, or read a book. You’d always decline and opt to stay where you were. She’d always apologize and tell you that, if there were somewhere safe for you to go, that she’d take you there in a heartbeat. At this point, you didn’t care if it was safe so long as it was new, and didn’t give you panic or anxiety attacks right away.

    When you and Nap weren’t sitting in silence in your room, you’d ask questions about the rest of the underground. They told you about Waterfall; the place where they lived. A pleasant little area coated in glistening stones and rushing water. They told you about the fish lady who lived next to them, and the strange skeleton who visited her. They told you about their snail farm, and the giant fuzzy guy who was their only customer. They mentioned a lot of little details about Waterfall, but told you that beyond that, they didn’t actually know much. They liked staying there where it was dim and quiet.

_ “Waterfall” _ . Sounded like a nice place. Peaceful and quiet, and  _ new _ . You wanted to visit with Nap, maybe even stay there for a little while to escape the newfound stress of the ruins. Some form of shower would be nice, too. You couldn’t remember how long it had been since you last took one. Luckily, no one noticed- or at least, they didn’t mention it to you.

    You woke up and stared at the wall, taking the time to re-memorize it again. Every little dip in the paint, everywhere the colors faded, every crack. You’d stare at it for so long every time you woke up, that sometimes when you closed your eyes, you could still see it in full detail. You decided to get up, and go look for Toriel; ask her if there was any way that you could leave the ruins, even for just a minute. 

    Your bare feet touched the ground. It was colder than usual. Now that you thought about it, the whole room was. You reached over and grabbed your jacket and put it on, before getting up to grab your socks and shoes. Tori had washed the socks for you. At least something was clean. You put on the article and walked out of the room and into the living room/dining room area to see if she was there. She wasn’t. You checked the kitchen. She wasn’t there, either.

    You decided to checked the house. She wasn’t in her room or the room next to it that seemed to only house boxes full of junk. Not wanting to leave the house, you looked out the front window to see if she was out in the front yard, but she wasn’t. This left you with two options: wait for her to come back, or, check the basement.

    Now, to most people, this would probably just come off as a creepy little place that most people preferred not to go; but Toriel  _ expressly _ told you not to go down there. And, until this point, you never actually considered going down there, anyway. For whatever reason, she really didn’t want you down there. If it was dangerous, then you really didn't want to know about it, and if she was hiding something, well… If she could get rid of Flowey, presumably single-handedly, then you didn’t really want to know what she’d do to you.

    But, she was gone. And you needed to talk to her, and discuss your options with her. The basement was the last place you could really go by yourself, or really in general, without some form of uncontrollable freak out. So, you cautiously approached the stairway at the back of the entrance area.

    As you gently placed your hand on the railing, a chill ran down your spine, and through your whole body. You started walking down the stairs, a feeling of dread hanging over you, worsening every step down further you took. When you made it to the bottom of the steps, you were greeted by a long, narrow, purple hallway. Just the sight of it was unsettling. Who just had something like that in their basement?

    With how much bigger the place seemed to be than you thought, maybe Tori really was there? You knew it was unlikely, but decided to keep walking down the dim, cold path anyway, running your fingers along the wall as you did so. You stopped when the path turned the corner. What if you kept going, and found something bad or scary? What if she wasn’t down here, and you coming here to look for her just made her mad? But, what if she was down here? If you did find her, wouldn’t she get mad anyway? No. No, it’d be fine, right? She’d understand once you explained things to her, right? She seemed like the kind of person who would understand. Besides, you’d already come this far to talk to her, and it was nice to not be roaming the same carved out twists and turns anyway.

    You turned the corner, only to see a short section of hallway that lead into a room. At the end of the room was a large door that practically stared at you. If you were being honest, it felt almost… Intimidating. The room seemed to be bigger than the hallway, though. Big enough for Tori to maybe be in. You pressed on, the air getting colder and colder as you did. The room was empty aside form the door.

    You couldn’t help yourself from wondering why. Why was this room here? Why was there a huge, detailed door in it. Why didn’t Toriel want you in there? You walked up to the door, and ran your fingers over the careful designs. The symbols were familiar. They were littered all over the ruins, and even on Toriel’s outfit. The door was made of wood, and the paint was smooth to the touch. It seemed well kept like the rest of the home. You took a deep breath, and were about to push it open, when you heard Tori’s voice from behind you.

 

    “What are you doing down here? I told you never to come down here.” There was a calm anger in her voice. 

 

    You froze at the sound of her voice. You knew you should have turned back when you found this stupid room. You could hear her walk towards you. You turned around and tried to explain yourself, but your words kept getting stuck in your throat. When she got to you, she redirected you so that she was between you and the door, and you were facing her.

 

    “There’s no good reason for you to be down here. I  _ specifically _ told you it was off limits.” She said, her hands on your shoulders. 

 

    You did your best to ask her what was behind the door, trying hard not to cry. You’d never seen her like this. So many emotions running on her face, you couldn’t pin what was going through her head. Anger, sadness,  _ fear _ . You knew what people could do when they got like this, and you were afraid that with her, it might be worse. 

 

    “It’s nothing, child. Now, go upstairs. There’s nothing for you here.”

 

    It clicked with you. Napstablook mentioned that there was a way to the rest of the underground from the ruins. A way that connected the two areas.  _ This had to be it. _ There was nowhere else it could be. Why else would there be a well guarded door that Toriel, the one so concerned with your health and safety, protected and banned you from going near? You asked her if it was true. If this really was the door that linked the ruins to the rest of this world.

 

    “That’s nothing for you to be concerned with. Now please, go up-” You shrugged her hands off your shoulders, and demanded that she tell you the truth. You couldn't help the newfound anger in your voice.  


 

    Your body felt like it was numb and trembling. You couldn’t tell if it was fear or anger that was causing these physical reactions. You really hoped that things wouldn’t escalate any further. You didn’t think you could handle anything more than this. The cold air filled the silence that the both of you left. You balled your fists and straightened your arms at either side of you, and looked down at the ground. Your eyes began to fill with tears. You felt an overwhelming feeling of betrayal. You begged her to tell you, this time your voice was softer. You sounded defeated. You hated that. You hated everything about this. She sighed.

 

    “Yes… This is the way out the the rest of the underground. But, my child, you don’t understa-” 

 

    You cut her off, snapping your head up to look her in the eyes. You yelled at her about how she  _ knew _ how badly you needed to leave. How badly you needed to escape, just for a little while. You told her that every day was stressful, and the fear of being hurt again kept you from leaving the house, and how the tiny walls felt like they were closing in every time you woke up. You screamed at her, telling her you trusted her.

 

   “You don’t understand! Here may be full of stress. It may hurt you. But at least I can at least keep you safe from the real danger, and keep you alive! Out there, not a single one of them would hesitate to  _ kill _ you on sight! That's why I kept this a secret!” She yelled back, pacing back and forth in front of the door, her arms waving frantically as if they would help to better convey her message.

 

    You asked her why she thought you wanted to keep living in the first place. You couldn’t help or stop the screaming question. The harshness of your voice. There were too many emotion running through you to be able to think straight. To think past that for an argument.  


 

    “It’s not that I think you want to live, I know for a fact you don’t!” She shouted. You yelled at her, asking why then she insisted on keeping you here then.

 

    “Because, once you die, that’s it! There’s nothing left! There’s  _ no one _ left! Please, I know that this is hard for you, in more ways than one, but, just  _ listen _ to me!” 

 

    You didn’t want to listen anymore. You didn’t want to hear the same speech again. And, frankly, you didn’t think you could right now anyway. Your heart began racing again in that oh-too familiar way. Your breathing quickened and your thoughts shortened. You needed to get out of there. You needed to get away. You did your best to explain as you tried to push past her.

 

    “Please,  _ stop! _ ” Toriel exclaimed.

 

       Before you could react, you were surrounded by a bright light and an intense heat that seared your skin and cracked your glasses lenses. You instinctively backed up, screaming at the extreme burning sensation that overcame you. Toriel reached a frantic and concerned hand towards you.

 

    “No, wait, I didn’t mean to-!” 

 

    You backed away from her till your back hit the wall, and you moved across it until you found yourself cornered. You quickly slid down the wall until you were sitting on the ground, hands in your hair to cover your head, rambling apologies and begging her to stop. Toriel’s eyes began to water when she realized what she’d done. Whenever she got close to you to try and help, you instinctively started to freak out, rocking back and forth violently, your words becoming less and less coherent. 

    She didn’t know what to do. She hurt you in just about every way she could have, and couldn’t get close enough to you to fix it. Through tear filled eyes, she frantically looked around for anything; something to calm you down, an idea. Anything that would help. Her eyes landed on the door looming over the both of you. She looked at you and then back at it. She didn’t want to, but she knew that at this point, it was all she could do.

 

    “I’m sorry, my child.” She said quietly before pushing the door open and leaving towards the staircase you’d come from. She looked over at you one last time before running off.

 

    It took you a minute to calm down a little, focusing on getting control of your movements first. Once you had, you shakily got up and moved for the now open door, the splintered vision throwing you off just a bit. When you went through it, you were met with another long, narrow pathway. This one was longer, and shrouded in darkness. The only reason you could even tell it lead somewhere was because you could see a single beam of moonlight through the spiderweb fractures in your lenses far down ahead.

    You did your best to get there, trying to run every now and then only to trigger searing pain in your legs. It got so cold, you had to put your hands in your jacket pockets. It took you a while, but you finally made it to the small, dark room. The moonlight illuminated a small patch of grass, and faintly outlined another door. The fractures in your glasses started to give you a headache, so with shaky hands, you took off your glasses, folded them, and put them in your pocket. You were about to head for the door when you stopped in fear at the sound of a familiarly sinister laugh.

 

    “Hehehe, well would you look at that. No matter how hard you try, or who you trust, everyone ends up hurting you anyway~.” Flowey’s voice was loud and surrounded you, filling the room like he was a voice in your head.

 

    “I’ll give you credit. I didn’t think you had it in ya to keep going. You did take WAY longer in there than They ever did, though.” His voice seemed to be everywhere, yet moving at the same time. You felt sick to your stomach.  


 

    “Don’t worry. I’m not going to kill you, yet. No, you don’t have what it takes to put my plan into action. You’re not from here, after all! Your soul won’t work at ALL! Besides, you’re deviating from the story. You’re not doing what you’re SUPPOSED to do. And that’s just TOO interesting to pass up!”

 

    You managed to break yourself free of your fear and ran for the door, trying to open it. It was jammed shut, but you still pushed and pulled on it as hard as you could.

 

    “Aww, so eager to go already? But I just got here.” More horrendous laughter echoed through the room.

 

    “Alright, alright. As much fun as it is keeping you locked in here and watching you struggle, someone’s waiting for you. And it IS rude to keep people waiting, after all.” 

 

    The door swung open and you stumbled forward, landing in freezing snow.

 

    “Don’t worry, pal~ I’ll keep an eye on you!” His laughter was only muffled when you got up and slammed the door shut behind you.

 

    You took a second to catch your breath when sweet silence returned, before opening your eyes. Your surroundings were blurry, but you would make out… Trees? Was there a forest underground? Was that even possible? Before you could think about it anymore, you started thinking about what all had just happened. Toriel, Flowey, the intense pain filling your body. Not to mention that you had no idea where you were, no access to any food to sooth your skin, and- wait. Flowey said someone was waiting for you.

    You froze. Who was waiting for you? Was it actually you they were waiting for? Were they actually real? What if they were? What were they going to do to you? You felt your your whole body shake and your mind slowly slipped into the usual frantics again. You did your best to scan for an escape rout. There was only a long, white path that you assumed was covered in snow. Nowhere else to run but that path. Surly they were waiting for you there. Looking to your left you saw a bush-looking thing and a corner made of trees that were growing too close together for an average tree right next to eachother. There was just enough room for you to wedge yourself between the two and hide, and so you did.

    The snow was freezing, and already melting on your ass, but you didn’t care. You only cared about making yourself less noticeable. You brought your knees to your chest, and put your hood over your head before resting your forehead on your knees. This position honestly hurt a lot, your skin flaring with the stress from the cold and being stretched and held firmly in place. That thought fled your mind when you heard footsteps crunching in the snow, coming in your direction.

    They were slow, like someone taking a leisurely stroll. You did your best not to move, but you couldn’t help the cold/fear combination and caused you to vibrate slightly. The footsteps were really close now, and you held your breath. They slowly moved until they were right in front of you. Your heart stopped when you heard the feet turn on their heels to face you, crunching in the snow as they did. A deep, casual voice spoke to you.

 

    “Hey, buddy. You're lookin' pretty hot right now.” The voice, probably referring to your singed clothing. It laughed at its own bad joke.

 

    “But seriously, you okay, kid?” 

 

    You were unable to respond. The fear and panic attack still had its grip on you. You couldn’t even think straight. There was a pause. They took a step closer.

 

    “Kid, you don’t look too hot. Or, I guess you look a little  _ too _ hot. What happened?”

 

    You instinctively responded with a wave of barely comprehensible apologies, rocking back and forth against one of the trees behind you.

 

    “Hey, come on, kid. You don’t have anything to apologize for, okay? As far as I know, you haven’t done anything wrong yet. It’s okay.” They took a few steps closer. You begged them not to hurt you. Your voice cracked as you did.

 

    “Oh, is that what this’ about? Kid, you don’t gotta worry. I’m not gonna hurt you, okay?” They crouched down at your feet, and gently placed a hand on your knee. You winced in pain, and they quickly took it back off. There was a short pause.

 

    “Here, lift up your face. I don’t want to hurt you, okay? I just want to see the damage. You’re safe now.” 

 

    You slowly took off your hood and looked at the monster in front of you. They seemed to be a skeleton of some sort, wearing a blue jacket and a white tee shirt. They looked at your burned and bloodied face for a moment before reaching their hand out to touch it. They stopped before they touched it, and looked you in the eye.

 

    “Is it okay if I touch it? I can’t help unless I do.” You didn’t respond.

 

    “Heh, what's the matter? Afraid of this old bonehead?” Well, yeah. You were also afraid of a goat, a flower, and a jello mold to name a few of the things down here out to get you. You didn’t tell them that.

 

    “Look. I promise I’m here to help you, okay? I know you’re scared, but I can bet you that those burns aren’t helping. No one’s going to hurt you while I’m here, okay? It’s okay. You’re safe. I won’t do anything you don’t want me to, but I highly recommend you let me help with this.” 

 

    You quickly nodded your head, and they let out a sigh of relief as they reached out to gently touch your face. Their fingers were warm, and didn’t quite feel like bones were supposed to. Then again, bones weren't supposed to move on their own without skin and guts, either. 

 

    “I don’t know what you know about yet, so don’t freak out, okay? Just close your eyes. I promise it’s safe.”

 

    You nodded before closing your eyes. Shortly after you did, you could feel the warm tingle of healing magic fill your body. But this time, it was different. This time, it was much stronger than any you’ve felt before. Stronger than the food you ate. Stronger than Tori’s, even. It felt much better than the other types you'd felt so far, too.  


 

    “Okay, you can open your eyes now.” They said, moving their hand away from your cheek. You did.

 

    “Better?” You nodded.

 

    “That’s good. Can you talk yet?” You shook your head.

 

    “That’s okay, buddy. You take all the time you need. We’ve all been there. I won’t even  _ think _ about leavin’ ya ‘till I know you’re alright, okay?” They winked at you. You nodded.

 

    “Good. You tell me when you can talk, and we’ll figure out what to do from there.” You nodded.  


 

    A few minutes passed, and you’d gotten over the worst part of the panic attack. They were still there, crouched down right in front of you. They didn’t even know your name, why were they doing this? You felt safe with them there, though. You softly spoke out a small thank you to them, and they moved their hand to pat your head.

 

    “No problem, buddy. Do you feel comfortable telling me what happened?” You shook your head.

 

    “That’s fair. Can you tell me your name at least?” You softly told them your name, your voice cracked at the end.

 

    “Heh, nice name there, kid. I like it.” You asked them what their name was.

  
   “I’m Sans.” They said, winking again. “Sans the skeleton.”


	5. The Part Where He Doesn't Kill You

      “I’m Sans.” They said, winking again. “Sans the skeleton.”

 

    You stayed quiet, contemplating the interesting name as best you could. He moved his left hand towards your knee, stopping to a mere hover and looking at you, waiting for your response. You nodded to let him know it was okay, and he placed his hand on your knee.

 

    “So, kid, I know you don’t want to talk about what happened, but I gotta ask. That door only opens from the inside. There's no goin' back from here. Do you have anywhere to go from here? A plan of some sort? ‘Cause, from the looks of things, I’d say you’ve been stopped cold in your tracks.”

 

    You turned your gaze to the snow-covered bush next to you, not wanting to answer the question. You noticed something shiny through the branches, but couldn’t quite tell what it was.

 

    “...I take that as a no then.”

 

    Your body finally let go of the anxiety, relaxing a little. A flow of proper sensations flooded through your body. Your ass and feet were numb in one of the most painful ways possible, and all the skin surrounding was soaked and freezing. Your body instinctively responded, shivering and tensing against your will.

 

    “Here, I have an idea. It’s completely up to you if you go through with it or not though, okay? Snowdin Forest is, well, it’s covered in snow. Not to mention it’s right next to the ruins, and, by proxy, crawling with sentries after humans. Now, I just met you and all, but I’m _preeetty_ sure those aren't things you’re prepared to deal with just yet, are they?” You didn’t respond.

 

    “Yeah, I figured. So, how’s about this: you stay with me and my bro ‘till we figure all this out? Again, you don’t have to if you don’t want to, but, well, let me put it this way. If you stay out here in the freezing cold, with all these high level monsters after ya’, there’s a good chance you’ll die. At least if you stay with us, there’s only a 50/50 chance.” He winked at you. “So, what’d'ya say?”

 

    You looked at him, trying to find the words to respond. Why was he trying so hard to help? Wouldn’t you just be an inconvenience? You felt kinda pathetic, though. You couldn’t even muster a “thank you” at this point; there was too much running though your head. You felt bad.

 

    “Hey, I know you’re scared. Hell, I’d be, too. But, I can tell just by lookin’ and ya’ that you haven’t done anything wrong yet. I don’t know how you ended up here or why, but I can tell you don’t want to hurt anyone. Therefore, why should I hurt you? I know it’s hard to believe, but you _will_ be safe with me and Paps. I’ll explain to him what happened.”

 

    You looked back down at the snow. He raised his hand from your knee to your cheek, and gently guided your face back up to meet his. It was hard to tell, but you didn’t think his mouth was moving at all this entire time.

 

    “You don’t have to say yes. If you want, I’ll get up and walk away. You can go off and do things however you want. or, you could stay with us until we figure out somthin' better. It’s up to you. I just want you to be safe whatever you choose, okay?”

 

    You softly asked him why he wanted to help so bad. He removed his hand from your cheek and shrugged, before putting both his hands in his jacket pockets.

 

    “Heh, who knows? What I DO know is that, you’re probably wet and freezing, and we have towels at my house.”

 

    Did you trust him? Not really. But, he was right. He was giving you a chance in a situation where everyone else would kill you. It WAS freezing, you WERE soaked, and numb for that matter. You had no idea where you were or where to go. You were hungry and, on top of it all, the adrenaline was starting to wear off, and you were getting pretty tired. If you stayed out here by yourself, there’s no way you’d make it out alive. It’s one thing to end it all on your own, quick and simple. It’s another thing entirely to have someone else do it, paying no attention to any pain you might be feel, or how long it's taking. You told him that you’d be willing to stay with him and his brother, but only if he was actually okay with it.

 

    “Come on, kid. Why would I offer if I wasn’t prepared to fall through with it?”

 

    He stood up and outstretched his arm, offering you his hand. You took it and he pulled you to your feet. You noticed he was about the same height as you. He lifted his free hand to meet yours, now holding both of them in his.

 

    “Again… I don’t know how much magic you know about, so I need you to close your eyes again, okay? And, when you open them, don’t freak out, okay?”

 

    You were a little worried now, but nodded and closed your eyes anyway.

 

    “Okay, good. Now, I’m gonna count to three, and then you can open them, okay?”

 

     You nodded.

 

    “One… Two…”

 

    The air around you became warm and comforting. It smelled less like a forest and more like a building. It felt much more relaxing.

 

    “Three. You can open your eyes now.”

 

    You opened your eyes to find yourself in what you figured was a living room. He let go of your hands and started walking over to a staircase in the corner of the room, small chunks of snow falling off his sneakers as he did. You watched him as best you could.

 

    “I’m gonna go get you a towel and some new pants. Feel free to look around while you wait.”

 

    He walked into the room at the end of the hallway, closing the door behind him. You weren’t sure how you felt about snooping around someone else's house while they were in the other room. Looking around from where you stood, you could make out a T.V. to your left, and a green couch to your right. In front of you too the left was an archway into another room, and a long table with something grey on it.

    You walked over to it to get a better look. Once you got there, it looked like some kind of rock on a plate. It was covered in rainbow sprinkles. You wondered why it was there in the first place. Not wanting to pick it up without permission, you crouched down so that it was level with your eyes. You were tempted to poke it; maybe it’d move or something. You heard the door open again.

 

    “Heh, I see you’ve found Rocky.”

 

    You could hear Sans walk back towards the staircase. You asked him if the rock did anything, or if it was actually just a rock, not taking your eyes off it. You could hear him put something soft on the couch.

 

    “Nah, he don’t really do much. Don’t tell Paps, though.” He walked over next to you. “He wanted me to pick up a hobby to keep myself busy when I’m off work. But, uh, I don’t really like doin’ much. So I figured a pet rock would do.” You stood up, and looked at Sans. He was about a foot away from you. “Only problem is that he thinks it’s a _real_ pet. I tried to tell him it didn’t need feedin’, but he insisted that ‘all pets need food to grow up strong’ or somethin’ like that. Heh, I love that guy.”

 

    He walked over to the couch, motioning for you to come over. He picked up half the pile of clothing and gave it to you when you got there.

 

    “Anyway, you can dry off and get changed in Paps’ room. He won't mind as long as you don’t mess with his things.” He pointed to the room at the beginning of the hall. Squinting, you could see it was covered in reds and yellows, but you couldn’t make out what they were from where you were. “It’s that one there.” He lowered his arm and put it back in his pocket. “I’ll be down here when you’re done, take your time.”

 

    You nodded and thanked him for going through all the trouble before walking up the stairs and over to the room. You noticed that the decorations on the door were caution tape and a stop sign, as well as other miscellaneous “do not enter” type symbolism. You opened the door and walked in, closing the door behind you.

    From what you could make out, it looked like a child's room. Complete with flame rug and a race car bed. You walked over to the bed and placed the dry clothes and towel on the plastic foot of the bed. You noticed that the cuffs and hem of your jacket were soaked. You frowned and took it off. As you placed it next to the cloth pile, you noticed that one of your pockets were slightly heavier than the other, and remember your broken glasses were in there. You carefully took them out of your pocket and put them on the far edge of the bed. They’d been through enough without going through the wash, too.

    Finding your glasses reminded you to check the rest of your pockets. You reached into your front right pocket, only to find it was empty. Your front left pocket had some candy wrappers in it. Your back left pocket had the old flip phone that Toriel gave you back in the ruins. You stared at it for a moment, frozen and lost in thought. You opened it to see if it’d still turn on. Maybe you could call her and apologize. Or maybe you could call Nap, see if he could help at all. Unfortunately, the snow soaked the phone, too, and broke it. You put it in the pile of things on the bed and reached into your back right pocket, finding your actual phone. Now, not only was it dead, and had a shattered screen, but it was drenched in freezing water as well. It’d probably never work again. You placed it in the pile as well.

    You looked through the cloth pile and separated the towel and shorts. You took off your shoes, and putting them neatly off to the side. You then took off your pants, putting them dry-side-down to avoid getting the carpet any wetter than it already was, before pulling off your socks and placed them on top of your pants. You patted your butt, the squishy sound of water soaking the thin fabric of your underwear upsetting you slightly. You took them off and grabbed the towel.

    There was no way you were gonna hand over your underwear to a stranger, AND go commando in their house. You proceeded to dry them off as best you would with the towel, getting them to a slightly less noticeable damp and laying them on top of the shorts, before drying yourself off. You put the towel on the pile of wet laundry and put your underwear back on, before picking up the shorts to inspect them. They were a pair solid black basketball shorts with pockets. They had a nice, silky-soft texture to them. You remembered seeing Sans wearing a similar pair, too, and wondered how many he had.

    You put on the shorts and gathered all the wet cloth, putting your shoes and the items from your pockets on top of the pile and made your way out of the room, closing the door behind you. You could make out Sans’ figure sitting on the couch, the sound of the T.V. playing quietly.

 

    “There ya’ are! Everything go okay?”

 

    You nodded and hummed confirmation before walking down the stairs and over to the couch. He scooted over to make room for you, patting the cushion to signal it was okay. You sat down, placing everything on the floor. Sans looked over at the things on top, and picked up your glasses.

 

    “Heh, so that’s why you’ve been squinting so much!”

 

    You looked down at the ground.

 

    “Don’t worry, kid. I won’t ask what happened. But, I _do_ know someone who can get these fixed if ya’ want?”

 

    You nodded and he placed them in his jacket pocket. He picked up the phones and looked them over as well.

 

    “What about these? I’m sure she won’t mind. After all, she has more free time than me, and that's sayin' somethin'.” He winked.

 

    You told him it was fine by you, but only if she wanted to. He put them in his pocket as well and stood up.

 

    “Alrighty then. If she doesn’t want to then I’ll just bring ‘em back. Blanket’s are on the foot of the couch. Remotes on top, but there’s only one channel so there’s not much of a point, I guess. Trash can’s in the kitchen.” He pointed to the archway next to the large table by the door.

 

    He picked up your shoes and placed them next to the couch and put the candy wrappers in your hand before picking up the cloths and towel in his arms. You put them in one of the pockets of the shorts.

 

    “I gotta get these washing, see if Alphys’ll fix up your things, and head back to work. I’ll be back in a few hours with some food. Think you can handle being by yourself for a while?”

 

    You nodded as you pulled one of the blankets over your shoulders. He patted your head before taking a step back.

 

    “Oh, and, one more thing.” He paused for a moment for you to look up at him. “Don’t let Rocky in the kitchen.” He winked. “He always digs through the trash when he can.”

 

    Before you could say anything, he disappeared, leaving you alone with yourself, the T.V., and Rocky. You decided that you were going to ask him how the whole vanishing thing worked when he got back. You stood up from the couch, pulling the blanket to cover your chest. It draped just under your knees. You walked into the kitchen to throw away the wrappers, but stopped to look at a towering cabinet of some sort. You put the trash in the bin and walked out of the room. Yet another thing to ask Sans about later.

    You sat as far away from the T.V. as you could while still being able to see it. Sadly, that wasn’t very far, and you had to look up at a weird angle to watch the show. After a while you realized that all the shows starred the same robot that went by the name “Mettaton”. It seemed to be much more… Energetic, than any real robots from back home. It was really interesting. This “episode”, or whatever, was based around the construction of puzzles, and how to solve them. The examples were all the same, though, as they all looked like Mettaton… With the same solutions… Still an interesting concept, though.

    Throughout your T.V. watching, you got more and more tiered. You lied down on the floor, spreading the blanket to cover as much of you as you could, and used your arm as a pillow. It wasn't long before you drifted off to sleep.


	6. The Part Where You Meet Aphys

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry I missed last week guys! There was a lot going on and part of the chapter was bugging me, and it really didn't feel like it'd be fair to you guys to post a rushed and awkward chapter, ya know? Hopefully this one's a lot better; I really feel like it is at least. I also tried to make this chapter longer to make up for it. Sorry again!
> 
> Also, the story is getting to a point where Sans is doing a lot of stuff sort of off screen, and I was wondering if you guys would prefer me to narrate what he's doing, too, for story stuff, or leave you guys in the dark as much as the reader character? If no one says anything then I'll just keep going the way I have been. :)

    Darkness enclosed you as you struggled against unseen restraints. Coiling around you like a snake, getting tighter with each breath you took, all while a familiar high-pitched laugh polluted your surroundings. In a burst of panic, you shot up, and everything quickly ended. Your breathing was labored, and you were covered in a thin layer of sweat. You looked around to find that you were still in Sans’ living room. The lights and T.V. were off, and the blinds were shut, blocking out most of the light. You were on the couch, a pillow where your head was, and the plush throw blanket you were using earlier draped over you. You let out a sigh of relief as you laid back down and processed what just happened. It was just a nightmare. Flowey couldn’t  _ actually _ get you from here… Could he?

    The thoughts of uncertainty coupled with the silence of the room were getting to you. You threw the blanket over the back of the couch and stood up to turn the T.V. back on. When you did, you were greeted by Mettaton’s loud personality and game show music. You relaxed now that you had something to distract you. As you turned around, you noticed something white on the table next to Rocky. As you got closer to inspect it, you discovered it was a paper bag. There was a note with a marker on top sitting next to it. You picked it up to read what it said.

 

    “hey, kid. 

     when we got home you were already asleep. so paps put you on the couch and turned off the tv while i wrote this note thing. he said it was somethin’ to do with “guests should be comfortable instead of sleeping on the floor” or something like that. hes pretty excited to meet you when youre like, not sleeping. anyway, i was gonna wake you, but i figured today was pretty harsh and that you could use the rest. theres food in this bag if youre hungry. paps and i are hittin’ the sack so well see you in the morning. sleep good -sans”

 

    Smiling, you turned the piece of paper over and wrote your own message, telling him thank you and that you were excited to meet Paps, too. You also wrote that next time he and Papyrus could just wake you up. You set the note and the marker down and grabbed the bag of food; it was still kinda warm. You walked over to the couch and sat down, throwing the blanket over your knees before opening the bag. There was a burger and some fries inside. You happily ate them as you watched the blurry program on the television.

    After a while, you’d finished your food and placed the bag of garbage and food scraps on the floor next to you, and laid down. You pulled the blanket over your shoulders and did your best to watch the show, trying not to think about the nightmare before drifting off to sleep again.

    The next thing you knew, you were being jostled awake by Sans. The lights were on, and it took you a minute to process what was happening. You focused, and were finally able to hear what Sans was actually saying.

 

    “Hey, kid, come on, it’s time to get up.”

 

    You rolled over to look at him, and noticed movement in the kitchen. You grunted as you sat up on the couch and asked him what was going on.

 

    “Heh, good morning.” He pet your head.

 

    “OH, IS SHE UP NOW?” A booming, higher-pitched voice asked from the kitchen.

 

    You looked over at Sans, concern apparent on your face. He winked at you before picking up a pile of cloth from the ground and standing up.

 

    “Yeah, Pap, she’s up!” Sans said as he sat down next to you.

 

    He tossed you the pile of cloth, and you noticed it was your cloths from earlier, now nice and dry. You heard something metal hit the floor in the kitchen, followed by a taller skeleton running into the living room. They stood in front of you.

 

    “HELLO, AND GOOD MORNING, HUMAN! ALLOW ME TO INTRODUCE MYSELF! I!” He put one hand on his hip, and the other to his chest as he looked up at the ceiling, posing dramatically. “AM THE GREAT PAPYRUS!” He returned to facing you, supporting himself with his hands on his knees as he leaned down to look you in the eye. He was smiling sincerely. “AND, WHAT’S YOUR NAME?”

 

    You told him your name, smiling back at him. He seemed really nice.

 

    “NICE TO MEET YOU!” He stood back up and started walking back to the kitchen. “NOW THAT THAT’S SETTLED, I’LL FINISH MAKING BREAKFAST, AND THEN WE’LL GO!”

 

    You could hear the metal object clank again, as well as various other things in the kitchen. You looked over at Sans and asked where you all were going. He used the remote to turn on the T.V. and you wondered where it came from.

 

    “Al got your stuff fixed, but needs you there so she can fix your glasses frame. Shouldn’t take too long.” He looked over to you and winked. “We can just take a short cut.”

 

    There was a loud sound of a pot slamming on the counter, before Papyrus shouted from the kitchen.

 

    “OH, PLEASE! NOT ANOTHER ONE OF YOUR “SHORTCUTS”, SANS! THEY ALWAYS UPSET MY STOMACH!” 

 

    Sans chuckled to himself.

 

    “No one else knows about her yet, remember? If we take her the long way, she might get in trouble. You can stay here if ya’ want, though.”

 

    “AND MISS OUT ON SEEING DR. ALPHYS? I THINK NOT!”

 

    “Well, then we have to take a shortcut. Simple as that.”

 

    “I STILL DON’T SEE WHY WE CAN’T TELL UNDYNE YET. AREN'T WE SUPPOSED TO TELL HER WHEN A HUMAN COMES THROUGH?”

 

    “We talked about it last night, remember? It’ll be fine. I’ve got everything under control.”

 

    “OH, IF YOU SAY SO…”

 

    Sans looked over to you.

 

    “You should probably go get dressed while you wait. Shouldn’t be  _ too _ long ‘till he’s done, anyway.”

 

    You nodded and told him that was probably a good idea. You got up from the couch and made your way to the stairs.

 

    “SANS, HAVE YOU FED ROCKY YET?” Pap shouted from the kitchen as you walked up the stairs.

 

    “Nah, he was still full from dinner.” You laughed softly to yourself as you went into Papyrus’ room, closing the door behind you.

 

    You walked over to the race car bed and put your pants, socks, and jacket on the plastic hood of the car, and took off the shorts. As you got dressed, you couldn’t help but notice the contrast between the clean cloths and the ones that hadn’t been washed yet. You really wanted to take a shower. It just occurred to you that you hadn’t bathed since all the water sources in the ruins started giving you anxiety attacks. You threw your jacket on and grabbed the shorts, before walking back out of the room. As you walked down the stairs, you could smell spaghetti, and wondered why that was breakfast. You went to sit back down on the couch next to Sans, and asked where to put the shorts.

 

    “Eh, just leave theme here for now so you can use 'em later. After all, it’s not good to sleep in jeans.”

 

    You agreed and set them between the two of you. A few minutes passed, and questions started bubbling forth. You still didn’t know who Alphys was or why she was helping. Or who Undyne was and why Sans didn’t just take you to her when he found you. You had no idea why anyone was helping you at all, for that matter. And, to top it all off, you still didn’t know what was up with the sink, or how Papyrus was making spaghetti when he couldn’t get to the water. You looked over to Sans and asked if you could ask him a question.

 

    “You just did, kid.” He laughed and you made a pouty face at him. “Heh, yeah, shoot.”

 

    You figured it would probably be best to stick with the simpler questions for now, and asked about the sink and how Papyrus was making spaghetti without water.

 

    “Paps did it so he could store more bones under the sink. Don’t ask why. And, As for the spaghetti…” There was a loud band followed by the sound of something wet hitting the floor, and Papyrus muttering something you couldn’t quite hear. “It’s… Probably best if you don’t ask about that, either.”

 

    Sans patted you on the shoulder as you looked at him with mild concern before turning back to the television. You decided it would be best if you did, too. You noticed that Mettaton wasn’t quite as entertaining when you could hardly see him. An episode passed, Papyrus came into the living room with two plates of spaghetti, passing one to you, and the other to Sans.

 

    “THERE YOU ARE! I’LL BE RIGHT BACK!”

 

    You watched as Paps walked out of the room again, and you looked down at the plate in your hands. Everything looked fine and normal. In a way, this worried you more knowing that water probably wasn't involved. You tried to brush it off and took a bite. The noodles were a bit overcooked, and the sauce had too much salt in it, but other than that it was fine. You looked over at Sans, but his plate was already empty. You wondered if he’d already eaten it, or just dumped it somewhere. Before you could ask, Papyrus walked back in the room and sat next to Sans.

 

    “WELL, WHAT DID YOU THINK?” He asked Sans, before eating some himself.

 

    “Best one you’ve made yet, bro.” Sans patted him on the head.

 

    “GOOD! I’M GLAD YOU LIKED IT, BROTHER! AND YOU?” 

 

    He looked over to you, and you told him it was pretty good, not wanting to be mean. You could faintly see his face light up with joy.

 

    “WOWIE, THAT’S GOOD TO HEAR! WELL, BETTER EAT UP SO WE CAN GO SEE ALPHYS!” 

 

    You nodded and continued to eat the barely edible food as you did your best to watch the T.V. with the two. Despite Papyrus always shouting everything, this was still really nice. You honestly couldn’t remember the last time you felt this relaxed and, well,  _ safe _ . It’d been so long since the last time you felt wanted. You silently hoped that nothing would go wrong again, like it usually did, and tried to brush off the worry that came with knowing this "Undyne" person wanted you for something. After you finished your food, Papyrus gathered all the dishes, and took them to the kitchen. Sans stood up and smoothed out his shorts as Paps came back into the living room. 

 

    “Okay, kid. Go ahead and get your shoes on and then we can go.”

 

    You nodded and reached over the side of the couch to grab your shoes and put them on. You quickly stood up and smiled, trying to conceal the fear you had towards going somewhere new to  _ meet _ someone new.

 

    “You ready, kid?” Sans asked you.

 

    You nodded, and Sans outstretched his arm to you. You took his hand. Sans looked over to Papyrus, outstretching his free arm to him as well.

 

    “OH, ALRIGHT. BUT I WON’T LIKE IT!” He took Sans’ hand in his.

 

    “You don’t gotta like it, just  _ do _ it.” Papyrus grunted, and Sans looked over to you. “If this is still too much for you, I’d recommend closing your eyes now.”

 

    You told him you were actually pretty interested in what it looked like when he took these “shortcuts” of his. He did his best to shrug.

 

    “Suit yourself.”

 

    With that, your surroundings began to fade away into a void of nothingness, before fading to a rocky area in front of a large building. The air was unbearably hot, so you took off your jacket and tied it around your waist. Sans knocked on the door, and a shaky voice could be heard from the other side.

 

    “C-Coming!!” It said, before the door opened.

 

    When it did, the monster that greeted you appeared to be some kind of yellow lizard monster. They were wearing a lab coat and large circle glasses, and were about your height.

 

    “Oh! Yo-you guys are here already…! Well, uh, come in, I guess.” She said, stepping aside to let the three of you in.

 

    “HELLO, ALPHYS! GOOD TO SEE YOU AGAIN! AND HOW HAVE YOU BEEN DOING?” Papyrus shouted as he walked in, shaking Alphys’ hand once he was in.

 

    “O-Oh… You know…” She responded quietly, looking down at the floor.

 

    “Al, this is the kid I was talking about.” Sans said, motioning over in your direction. “You know, the one you were helping out with and all.”

 

    “O-Oh, right…!” She said, before stepping past Papyrus to stand in front of you. “M-My name’s Al-Alphys. It’s really nice to meet you… H-How’d things go once you got to Sans’ house?” 

 

    You asked her how she knew about that, and she looked down at the ground like she was embarrassed.

 

    “W-Well, I. I mean, it’s. It’s my.” Sans cut her off. “It’s her job to monitor the underground in case anything goes wrong. She does a lot of other stuff, too, but she happened to be watching when I found you.”

 

    “R-Right! Yeah… That… Anyway! I got your stuff fixed! I j-just need to finish your glasses. Right t-this way, please!” She said before leading the three of you into the main room, and up an escalator. 

 

    “I-If you could just, stand over there…” She said, motioning to right in front of the escalator where you were standing, before walking over to a table across the room.

 

    She grabbed something before making her way back to the three of you. She passed it to you, and a wave of tension you didn’t know you were holding left you when you noticed they were your glasses. 

 

    “T-Try them on and see how they feel.” She said, looking back down at the ground.

 

    You thanked her before putting them on. They were a little loose on you, but the prescription was just the same as before. You looked around the room and noticed a lot of anime and manga themed items littered around the room. Some of the titles on the book shelf you recognized.

 

    “How do t-they fit?” She asked you.

 

    You took them off and told her that they were a little loose, and asked her how she was able to fix the lenses so well. You passed her the glasses.

 

    “Oh! It was really easy, actually. There were big enough chunks of glass left in the lenses that I could use to determine the prescription and recreate them here in the shop! Finding the right kind of glass was a little bit tricky, though… I had to go into town, and I don’t go there very often, so I got lost… But, I found them! So… In the end… Everything was… Oh, I’m rambling, aren't I?” She quickly turned around and started walking back towards the table. “Sorry, I’ll get these adjusted!”

 

    You told her that she wasn’t rambling, and that you were actually pretty interested in what she was telling you. She put down what she was doing and looked over at you.

 

    “R-Really…? Most people find that annoying…”

 

    You told her that she was fine, and that you did the same thing sometimes, so you understood what it was like. You told her it didn’t really bother you when others did it because of that. She looked down and the ground before going back to working on your glasses.

 

    “W-Well… I guess it’s, kinda nice knowing someone else gets it…?”

 

    She walked back over to you, and handed you your glasses again. You put them on, and they fit almost as well as before. You told her that, and she smiled at the ground.

 

    “That’s good.” She told you, hands in her pockets.

 

    “Oh, I almost forgot!” She shouted before running to the desk next to the blue box at the end of the room.

 

    She grabbed something from between the lamp and the stack of papers and ran back towards you. She handed the objects to you, and you noticed that they were your phones. The screen on your actual phone was good as new, and the other one seemed fine as well.

 

    “I fixed all the damage from the fire, as well as updated the software. The flip phone should have texting and better service now. The smartphone was still hooked up to the old surface network. And, because we don’t exactly get surface service down here, I added you to the Underground’s main phone service. Also, because neither of them had chargers, I upgraded them so now they just need to be near a power source to charge. Oh! And I noticed that you had a lot of internet apps on the smartphone. See, the Underground’s internet is different from the surface world also, so I’m not actually sure if they’ll work…”

 

    You thanked her for going through all that trouble, clicking the button on the side of your phone and watching the lock screen shine bright before locking in again and putting it in your pocket.

 

    “O-Oh, it was nothing, really. Those upgrades were pretty simple. But, you’re welcome!”

 

    You pointed over to the bookshelf full of animes and mangas and asked her what one was her favorite.

 

    “Oh! I-It’s. It’s Mew Mew Kissy Cutie! Have you heard of it?” She seemed really excited that you asked.

 

    You told her you hadn’t, and she seemed shocked, but happy at the same time. She quickly went to explain the plot of this high school girl with cat ears that went through an arch of self acceptance and friendship, while also being able to kiss people and control their minds. This girl ends up going through a moral arch as well, and there was something about a bad guy she had to stop also, but she stopped explaining it because she didn’t want to spoil the whole plot.

 

    “Do you… Wanna watch it sometime? I-I mean, you don’t have to if you don’t want to! It’s just, a really good show and all…” She looked back down at the ground, hands behind her back as she played at the floor with her foot.

 

    You told her that you’d love to watch it with her some time.

 

    “R-Really?” She quickly looked up at you in disbelief.

 

    You nodded, and her face lit up with joy. Sans patted your back.

 

    “Already making friends, huh, kid?” He asked you.

 

    You told him that you had a few that you liked, too, and that you were curious what ones she liked. You him that it was always fun to find people with similar interests, and that she seemed like a really nice person to talk to.

 

    “No… I-I’m really not…” She told you, looking away again.

 

     You told her that you guessed you’d find out when they watched the show together.


	7. The Part Where You Remember

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Quick TW for this chapter: There is vomiting in it. If that's something that bothers you, there will be a chapter summery of all the important stuff that happens so you wont have to deal with it at the end of the chapter. Paragraphs 1-6 are safe though, and I'll summarize from paragraph 7 onward. Safe readings!

     It had been a few days since you’d met Alphys, and a little over a month now since you’d fallen in the underground. Despite having been dead for so long, your phone still tracked the time and days that had passed. If you were being honest with yourself, it was comforting to actually know what time it was, and to accurately track the days again. In addition, you could also use the Underground’s internet.

     The old apps on your phone weren’t compatible with the new software, but Alphys downloaded the “UnderNet” app to help compensate. The interface was similar to FaceBook, accept you didn’t actually have to use your real name. The culture of the Underground’s internet was pretty similar as well. There were petty fights on comment feeds, fan bases for an array of things, pages and forums for different hobbies, and you’d even stumbled upon an entire website dedicated to tracking and stopping a small white dog. Needless to say, it was all pretty interesting, and kept you occupied while the brothers were out doing… Whatever it was they did during the day.

     When you’d first gotten home after visiting Alphys, you immediately put Napstablook’s number in your actual phone and got into contact with him, explaining what all had happened, and where you were. He told you that he’d let you stay at his house, accept that ghosts don’t sleep… Or sit… And that only ghosts could eat ghost food… So it probably wouldn’t be a good idea to stay with him. You agreed and asked Sans if Nap could come over to keep you company sometimes, and Sans told you that it was perfectly fine with him, so he ended coming over almost every day since. It was nice, because you couldn't contact anyone from the surface using the Undergrounds phone service.

     Everything was going well. You seemed to really have things under control. You were able to keep track of night and day, fixing your sleep schedule a little bit in the process. You were keeping in touch with your best friend that you had in the Underground, and even had plans to hang out with Alphys in a couple of days. You were creating a comfortable habit for sleeping and social networking. You were even getting more comfortable being around the brothers.

     It was weird; when you’d first met Sans, he was one of the only people to feel, well, safe from the start. Not just in the Underground, but in general, really. He was the only one to bypass the distrust phase from the very beginning here. You felt like you could trust him and his judgment without question. Did that worry you? Yeah, a little, but at the same time, it was really nice. It was nice to have someone that you felt like you could rely on. And now, the three of you got along like you’d done this your whole life; like you were supposed to be there from the beginning. You knew that wasn’t true, but it was still a comforting thought, anyway.

     The three of you were sitting on the couch, watching T.V. and eating dinner. Papyrus made some spaghetti, as he always did, and Sans had brought home enough take-out for the three of you. You were all laughing and hanging out as you watched Mettaton running around on the screen doing… Something… You weren’t really paying attention. Instead, you were just enjoying the company of the two brothers as they talked about nothing. Sans would make jokes and Papyrus would yell about them, but you could tell he was secretly happy about them. Suddenly though, everything around you got a little bit hazy as a sharp pain flooded your abdomen.

     You hunched over, unable to say anything or think, as intense cramps soon took over you entirely. You fell forward off the couch and onto your hands and knees, before throwing up on the carpet. You could feel something warm and wet drip down the inside of your thigh. You could hear Sans and Papyrus shouting, and could feel pressure on your shoulder, but you couldn’t tell what they were saying or what it was. As you kept throwing up, the fuzzy room started to fade out into darkness as you passed out.  
     You woke up on the couch, the disgusting scent of blood and vomit filling the room. There was still an intense pain in your abdomen caused by the cramps, but it wasn’t quite as bad as before. When you looked over, Sans was sitting on the floor next to you, and Papyrus was cleaning up the mess on the carpet. You felt bad and tried to sit up to help, but Sans put his hand on your shoulder and gently guided you to lay back down.

 

     “Woah there, kid, take it easy. A-Are you okay? I, uh, don’t think I’ve ever seen a human do that before. Do you need a hospital or something?” Sans asked you.

 

     Despite the never-changing grin he always had, he seemed genuinely concerned about you. If you weren’t in a lot of pain, you’d probably laugh. You told him that it was nothing, and actually pretty normal for a lot of humans. His eyes gave you as shocked an appearance as they could.

 

     “What’d you mean, “normal”? It looked like you were about to die!”

 

     You explained to him what a period was, and how anyone born with a uterus would get them between around the ages of 9-50. You told him that, depending on the circumstances and the person, they could be painless, or completely immobilizing. You told him that the reason yours was so late, and this painful, was probably all the stress from falling down in the first place, and now that everything's calmed down a bit, it came back full force.

 

     “Geez, kid, that’s... Pretty fucked up.” Sans seemed pretty taken back by it all.

 

     “INDEED. HUMANS SURELY DO HAVE A HIGH ENDURANCE FOR THESE THINGS!” Papyrus shouted, before going back to the vomit and blood that had probably stained the carpet by now.

 

     You tried to sit up again to help clean it up, only to have Sans stop you again. This time, you noticed your body felt really sore already.

 

     “Hold it right there, kid. Everything's being taken care of. Now, s’there anything we can do? Maybe magic or something?”

 

     You told him that you thought magic could only heal wounds.

 

     “Well, not quite. See, magic works to restore your body to its highest ability to function. It heals wounds and restores energy, and in the case of magical food, it also temporarily ends hunger. There are a few things it can’t fix, though, like eyesight and-” You interrupted Sans with a groan as another intense cramp took its hold of you, causing you to sit up and tuck your knees to your chest.

 

     “Here, at least let me try.”

 

     Sans put his hand on your shoulder again, this time using his magic to heal you. Your body stopped aching, and the cramps were reduced to being just a little bit of pressure. You laid back down, relief washing over you as you sunk into the couch cushions.

 

     “Heh, I take it that helped?”

 

     You nodded and told him that the aches and cramps went away.

 

     “Well, that’s good to hear. Hey, how’s about we go get you cleaned up, huh?”

 

     You looked over at him, confused, and told him that you’d never seen a bathroom in their house, and asked how they were going to pull that off.

 

     “Huh? Oh, right, I guess we never explained that, huh? Well, see, when monsters first left the ruins, they set up camps in Snowdin, Waterfall, and Hot Lads. Because Waterfall had a lot of running water, and was in between the other two sections of the underground, everyone agreed that to save resources, it would be best to just travel to Waterfall for bathing and stuff. After a while, a lot more monsters were born, and so most of us moved to the Capitol. Largest city we have, the other one being in the ruins. Because of this, we ended up adding plumbing for the Capitol to help keep the traffic down in Waterfall for the folks who didn’t want to move. Everyone who stayed agreed that it’d be fine if we just adding sinks for cooking, and leaving everything else the same. Make sense?”

 

     You nodded before asking if it was safe for you to go out.

 

     “Hey, don’t worry about it. I know a place that doesn't get much traffic. There’s only one entrance, and I’ll keep an eye socket out for ya’ while you do your thing.” He winked at you.

 

     You looked down at the ground and told him it would be nice to bathe. After all, it had been at least a week since the last time you had.

 

     “So it’s agreed, then.”

 

     Sans moved his hand out, offering you to take it. Papyrus stood up abruptly, pointing to the sky. Sans put his hand down, before looking over to his brother.

 

     “WAIT A MINUTE! DON’T YOU NEED A TOWEL IF YOU’RE GOING TO BATHE?” Papyrus shouted before pointing at you and Sans.

 

     “Heh, whoops, almost forgot.” Sans said as he shrugged.

 

     “WORRY NOT, FOR I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, SHALL GO GET ONE FOR YOU!”

 

     You tried to tell him to stop, and that you could get one yourself, but he had already run up to his room, shouting his signature “Nyeh heh heh” as he ran up the stairs.

 

     “Heh, don’t worry about it, kid. ‘Sides, he really likes helping people. Makes him happy.”

 

     You told him that you felt bad for not helping to fix the mess you made.

 

     “Well, maybe when you get back you can help him clean the house.” He winked at you.

 

     He was probably kidding, but you decided that you actually would help clean the house once the two of you got back. Just then, the door to Papyrus’ room flung open as Paps came bursting from out of his room, carrying a towel in one arm.

 

     “FEAR NOT! FOR I HAVE SECURED THE TOWEL!” He shouted.

 

     He jumped off the edge at the corner where the ledge turned into the staircase. He landed next to Sans, making way less noise than he should have as he did. He passed you the fuzzy white towel before posing in his favorite dramatic pose.

 

     “THE GREAT PAPYRUS SAVES THE DAY AGAIN!”

 

     You smiled and thanked him. He looked back at you with a warm expression on his face.

 

     “IT WAS NOTHING, HUMAN! I’M JUST GLAD I WAS HERE TO HELP! AND SPEAKING OF HELP! I SHOULD GET BACK TO CLEANING THIS MESS BEFORE THE STAINS SETS IN!”

 

     And with that, he went back to scrubbing at the mess on the floor. You were pretty sure the stains had already set in, but you weren’t sure how to tell him. Sans stood up and looked over to you, reaching his hand out again for you to take.

 

     “Ready?” He asked you.

 

     You nodded as you took his hand. He pull you up, so that you were standing as well.

 

     “Alrighty then. Let’s go.”

 

     Before you could say anything else, your surroundings started to fade and transition into the new area. Before you knew it, you were ankle deep in lukewarm water. You looked around you to find a large waterfall and large stacks of garbage, as well as some damp wooden planks, and a patch of yellow flowers. You froze at the sight of them, and Sans noticed your reaction.

 

     “You okay, kid? Somethin’ bothering you?” He asked you, looking between you and the direction you were looking, to try and figure out what was wrong.

 

   You did your best to snap out of it, and told him it was nothing, before asking how you should go about bathing here. He looked at you like he knew you were lying, but seemed to brush it off.

 

   “What you’re gonna wanna do here, is put all your cloths on the wooden planks there. Then you just go under the water over there…” He pointed to the waterfall. “...To get rinsed off. If you wanna wash your pants and whatnot also, you can, and I’ll help you dry them off. I’ll be standing guard over there…” He pointed to the only entrance at the end of the room. “...To make sure no one walks in on ya’. Sound good?”

 

     You nodded, before walking over to the wooden planks to set down the towel.

 

     “Heh, good. I’ll be right over there if you need me.”

 

     Sans walked over to the entrance of the small section of the room, and you looked over to make sure he wasn’t looking. He was leaning against the wall as he looked over for other monsters, his back towards. You let out a soft sigh before hesitantly taking your shirt off. If you were being honest, you really didn’t like taking your clothes off with other people around, but you supposed you didn’t really have a choice. You put the shirt next to the towel and moved to your shorts, inspecting them carefully. It was a good thing they were black, because you could hardly tell there was blood on them. But, then again, that could just be the lighting.

      You looked around the area. There were luminescent crystals embedded in the ceiling, giving off enough light to see your surroundings. Actually, if you ignored the garbage, this whole place was actually really beautiful. You ended your train of thought and rinsed the shorts out before putting them down next to your shirt, and took off your underwear. They were almost completely soaked in blood, the smell making you sick to your stomach. You decided to rinse them out as best you could as well, before setting them on the wooden planks on top of the shorts. You took off your glasses and set them on your shirt. You were grateful that you were in your “pajamas” and that this was all you were wearing.

      You walked over to the waterfall and put your hand in the rushing water. It was about the same temperature as the water you were already standing in, but the pressure was pretty good. You stepped under the stream, and let the water run through your hair and down your body. It may not have been hot, but it sure as hell felt good. You soaked in the feeling for a minute or two, before washing away what dirt you could without soap. You went to rinse away the blood between your legs, only to discover that you were still bleeding. You frowned at the thought of having to still deal with blood for a week, but at least the pain was gone.

      After you finished rinsing off, you stood there in the rushing water, looking around at how gorgeous the area was again, soaking in the new environment. The crystals on the ceiling somehow looked just as, if not prettier without your glasses on. You heard movement in the water.

 

     “Hey, kid, you done yet?” You heard Sans ask.

 

     Just before you could answer him, you saw him walking over towards you. You yelled at him to turn around as you turned your body so that the front of you was facing towards the water, out of his range of view. He turned on his heels to look back towards the entrance, and away from you.

 

     “Shit, sorry! You were taking so long, I just thought you might be ready by now. I-I’ll keep looking this way…”

 

     You sighed and told him that it was fine as long as he didn’t do that again. You walked over to the wooden planks and picked up the towel, before wrapping it around your body. You pick up your underwear and wrung it out as best you could, before drying it on the corner of your towel, leaving it pretty damp. You set them down and picked up the shorts, and walked over to where Sans was standing. You told him it was okay to turn around now and asked him how he was going to dry off the shorts.

 

     “Here, watch.”

 

     He took the shorts from you. Before you could say anything, they were surrounded by a bright blue light, lifting up into the air. The were soon surrounded by warm flames. The soft heat was nice, and you were tempted to reach out and touch them, but were stopped by flashes of your battle with Tori. You tried to shake the memories, and focused on how interesting what Sans was doing looked, and the comforting feelings the heat gave off. After a few minutes, the shorts had dried, and returned to Sans’ hands.

 

     “Pretty cool, huh? See, normally you’d just take ‘em to Hot Land to dry them off, but, uh, well there’s a lot of reasons why this is the better way to go for now.” He winked at you before giving you the shorts. They were still warm.

 

     “Go dry off and get dressed, and then we can go back home, 'kay?”

 

     You nodded, and he turned back around. You were about to walk back before remembering that you still had to deal with blood flow, and didn’t want to soak your underwear again. You told Sans about it and asked what you should do.

 

     “Hmm… Here, I have an idea. Go hide behind the garbage. I’ll be back in less than a minute. Think you can do that?”

 

     You told him that the thought of being alone in a new area with no way out, and no idea where to go if things got out of hand scared you, but you trusted him.

 

     “Heh, that’s the spirit. You go hide and I’ll be right back.”

 

     You nodded and walked over to the mountains of trash, hiding behind them as Sans teleported out of the room. You waited a short while, but before you knew it, Sans was already back, and standing right next to you.

 

    “Miss me?” He asked, winking.

 

     You smiled and asked what his idea was.

 

     “Well, it’s nothing special, but it’s something, right?” He asked as he passed you a white washcloth.

 

     You pointed out that blood stains things, and that this was a nice washcloth. He shrugged.

 

     “Well, you’re supposed to do this every month, yeah? So just keep it ‘till we find something better. It’s just a washcloth, anyway.”

 

     You thanked him.

 

     “No problem, kid.” He started walking back to the entrance of the cavern. “Now get dressed so we can go.”

 

     You smiled and told him that you would. You walked over to where your things were, and dried off. You put on your shirt and glasses, and wedged the washcloth into position before putting on your underwear and shorts. You thought about the was Sans was reacting to all of this compared to how everyone back home usually did. He seemed pretty chill about it all, whereas everyone else would have called you gross and not helped. You guessed that monsters were better with handling these things because there's     no stigma towards it. You couldn’t help but find it refreshing.You picked up the damp towel and walked back over to Sans, telling him that you were ready to go back now, and thanking him for all his help.

 

     “Don’t mention it, kid. After all, that’s what friends are for, right?”

 

     “Friends”. You didn’t know why, but hearing him refer to the relationship between the two of you as “friends” was… Disappointing? Saddening? It was weird. You’d figured that that was what the two of you were; but then, to hear it out loud, from him, seemed to hurt for some reason. You shook off the feeling and agreed with him.

 

     “Alright, let’s head back.” He said, reaching his hand out for you to take. You did, and he brought the two of you back home in the strange fade of teleportation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW happens as well as the really bad cramps, causing "you" to pass out. You wake up on the couch and have to explain what a period is. Pap cleans up the mess while Sans tries to find a way to help. Brief description on how food and magic healing work in this story that just go along side with personal head-canons (because nothing's really canon yet). Magic doesn't stop periods, but helps with the pain. Cute moment with Papyrus. Sans takes you to Waterfall to wash up all the nasty in an area that not many people actually knows about, because no one in the Underground outside of the Capitol had indoor bathrooms for pluming reasons. "You" think it's really pretty there. There's mention of a potential game plan to let you visit more often. Cute moment with Sans. Also Sans sees you naked for like a split second whoops (he didn't mean to and felt bad about it don't worry). For this time around, you use washcloths as pads, and start to formulate a better plan for next time.


End file.
